


Again

by Anarchist_Rose



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-06-05 01:14:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 20,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6683503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anarchist_Rose/pseuds/Anarchist_Rose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Again. They were forced into the mountains again. They were forced to face the cold, the cruel winter, the wedigos, the memory of the death of the Washington's again, but now a new threat emerges. They have to survive the mountain, but they have to survive themselves too. Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue: Forbidden

5 March, 2015

Dearest Psychiatrists and Esteemed Psychologists,

We have been presented with a rare opportunity that will allow us to study the effects of severe stress on the human brain in a way that has never been researched before. We have seven new patients we are studying very closely currently. As of the famous rescue of the "Washington Manor Incident" the survivors have been staying in a secure location for therapy and interrogation to discover what happened on February 3rd, 2015. I propose that we rebuild the Washington Manor using a mere fraction of the research funds we have, and send the survivors out to the manor again. I have already been approved and will be conducting an experiment to further my research on mental illness.  
I predict that by sending these men and women out to experience the trauma that they faced will either cause them to see reality, realize that these "wendigos" do not exist, or they will indulge into their delusions even more and allow us researchers to study the effect.  
I am looking for a team of professors and psychiatrists to help with my research. This research could potentially help treat PTSD and other similar psychological problems. The reconstruction on the manor will be completed by January 1st, 2016, and the subjects will be sent out to the manor on February 3rd, 2016. Until then, they will continue to live under the supervision of my team and myself. Please send note of your answer in the involvement of this study.  
-Dr. Sophia M. Bennett

Dr. Hill scrolled through the email for the fifth time, still unable to comprehend what he was reading. The Washington Manor Incident had killed one of his patients and had caused real harm to the young men and women who were in the manor with him. What kind of person would be willing to conduct such forbidden research on innocent people, barely able to be called adults? Sophia Bennett. He knew the psychologist from medical school when he had went, years ago. She had a few classes with him. The two of them remained in contact after medical school because of research they had worked together on. She had used data from some of his patients, though he kept the identity of the individuals anonymous, and developed interesting hypothesis from the information about mental illnesses and mental disorders. Still, she had suggested taking her research further, administering pain to different patients and taking note of how they reacted. Naturally, he declined, but it bothered him that Dr. Bennett would even dream up a possibility like that.

"I have been approved and will be conducting an experiment to further my research on mental illness." An experiment like this was approved? How sadistic are psychologists becoming?  
Dr. Hill started to type out an email of his own. He would not participate in a study like this, not when the subjects were the friends of one of his patients. He had heard so much about these different people that he felt as though he knew them himself. He knew about Chris, Josh's best friend, the one who would try to comfort him after his sisters died. He knew about Sam, the girl who had Hannah's best friend, who had turned to him once she was gone... the girl Josh wanted to be with. Dr. Hill could see it in Josh's eyes. Dr. Hill knew about Matt, Ashely, Jessica, Emily, and Mike. He knew about the ensemble of characters that were the friends in Josh's life. He wasn't sure how Josh died, but he feared the worst. Currently, Dr. Hill believed Josh committed suicide on the mountain. He doubted his friends would kill him. He knew the wedigos were not real. That had to be the only cause. It had to be. Anything else would be unfathomable.

Minutes after he pressed send a message had appeared back on his screen.

Dr. Hill,  
I'm saddened to see that you will not be joining in this study. I would have thought you would have found it intriguing, seeing as it closely involves a particular patient of yours. It is possible that Joshua Washington is still alive. If he is, and you are not one of the psychiatrists involved in the study, I will not be able to let you continue to be his psychiatrist, or act as a psychiatrist to any of the others subjects. You would just have to wait until the paper is publish, and it is possible it will be years before that happens. You might never be able to read it. You're running out of time, aren't you Dr. Hill?  
If you happen to change your mind, please let me know within the next hour or so. I do not have time to go and change my research habits just because you cannot make up your mind.  
Thank you for your consideration.  
-Dr. Sophia M. Bennett

Dr. Hill let out a sigh. It was true. He was running out of time. The cancer was starting to spread, and though it wasn't affecting the way he functioned, it was only a matter of time. The cancer was terminal, and he knew the treatments he was getting were only delaying the inevitable. He wanted to know what happened in this study. While he doubted Josh was alive, he wanted to be there if he was proven to be. He wanted to make sure Sophia wasn't cruel to the friends of his patient. So be it. He would join the study. He would join so sadistic practices would not befall the students. He would join to find out what happened to Josh. He would join to discover the truth. Maybe there was something in the mountains after all.

Dr. Bennett,  
Your argument proved to be a strong one that worked quite effectively against me. I will join your study, however, I do have a few conditions that I will discuss with you at a future time. Forgive my initial denial at your invitation. I'm honored to have you consider me to be one of the psychiatrists in the study.  
-Dr. Alan J. Hill


	2. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was basically a normal college experience. There were a few differences, like the fact that she had to live in a three bedroom, three bathroom house with the other survivors to be monitored for psychological reasons, or half of her classes were online and she had to attend mandatory therapy instead, but if she closed her eyes, Sam could pretend this was all normal. Everything was normal.

Chapter One: Scars

This was basically a normal college experience. There were a few differences, like the fact that she had to live in a three bedroom, three bathroom house with the other survivors to be monitored for psychological reasons, or half of her classes were online and she had to attend mandatory therapy instead, but if she closed her eyes, Sam could pretend this was all normal. Everything was normal.

Then she would walk into the bathroom and strip down to take a shower. The door would be locked, no fear in anyone barging in and seeing her naked, but then she would notice the camera hiding in the two opposite corners of the bathroom, just like they were perched in every other room. "No escape," she muttered under her breath before stripping down to nothing. Sam looked at the camera, a part of her wanting to flip it off. Instead she chose to ignore it. The doctors weren't watching to be perverted, she hoped. They were watching to make sure no one grabbed a shaving razor and attempt to start cutting open their wrists with them, or try to go in the bathroom and just throw up everything they had been eating, or try to drown themselves in the bathtub... All of these have been incidents that have happened within the past few months. Matt... Ashely... Jessica... "Just finish out the year here, prove I'm sane as ever, and I can go back to real life." Sam had to remind herself of this everyday to keep herself from going insane. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. "I'm in here!"

"Hey, I really need to talk to you! Can you come out real quick?" Sam heard Mike's voice from the hallway. He rarely came to the girls living spaces, so something was off, but she really didn't want to put her clothes back on.

"Can't it wait?"

"No, it really can't!" There was an intensity in Mike's voice that she hadn't heard in a while, an intensity that couldn't be ignored.

Sighing, Sam covered herself with a towel and opened the door to the bathroom. "What?"  
Before she had time to really react, Mike grabbed her wrist and was dragging her into the living room. Chris and Emily were all sitting down throughout the living room, Emily spreading out her small body as much as she could on the couch, and Chris sitting casually on one of the chairs. 

Sam leaned against a wall, one hand holding her towel up before Emily moved over to give Sam a spot to sit. "Okay, so what do you want? Why couldn't Matt come?" Emily looked annoyed, but was willing to listen to Mike.

"Why did you tell Ashley to stay in the room with Jessica? I don't want to keep secrets from her." Sam looked at Chris. He was tapping the arm of the chair with his pointer and middle finger, a habit that only occurred when he was nervous.

"Has anyone else noticed the news reporters suddenly stopped coming?" Sam was taken aback by Mike's statement.

"You brought us in here because you're pissed you're not getting your fifteen minutes of fame anymore?" Emily crossed her arms and gave Mike a nasty look. Chris looked mildly annoyed too, but shot Emily a warning look.

"Come on, Em. Knock it off," he then turned his attention to Mike, "but what has that got to do with anything?"

Sam noticed Mike massaging the spot where his fingers used to be, stroking the angry scars that once held his fingers. She didn't think Mike even noticed he was doing this. "That isn't suspicious to any of you guys? The psychologist were getting a ton of money off of us. We made news all of the country and in Canada! It's suspicious, that's all."

Sam stood up and pat Mike on the shoulder. "We're all paranoid since Blackwood, but I think we just need to learn to relax. It was a pretty traumatic experience."

"That's why I didn't have Jess, Ash or Matt come in here. I didn't want to trigger anything with them."

Everyone in the room became silent. It was no secret that the three of them were the most screwed up after their time in Blackwood. Jessica was still walking with a severe limp and it was unknown if she would ever completely recover. She couldn't stand up for long periods of time without getting tired, so she took baths more than showers. More than once she fell asleep while she was in the bathtub and almost drowned, never doing anything to try to help herself be safe the next time. Ashely would wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares of the saw blades coming after she and Chris, and would run to the bathroom and cry until she threw up everything she had eaten throughout the day. Matt was getting progressively worse since Blackwood. He didn't seem as effected as the others at the time, but now he was starting to lose it, feeling like he was constantly being watched by the wendigos. He narrowly escaped being killed, only because he had been lucky and had the flare gun with him. Matt, more than once, had gone into one of the girl's bathrooms and stolen a razor blade and attempted to slit his wrists open. Everyone knew that they were screwed up, but everyone made a point of not mentioning it. The fact Mike just did... everyone was speechless.

After a few silent moments, Mike spoke up again. "Sorry. I just-" he took a deep breath, "something is going on. I wanted to say something now because the scientists are on rotation and won't see what we're saying now."

Sam took a deep breath. She understood what Mike was trying to get at. "We'll keep an eye open for anything suspicious and we won't tell the others," she paused and looked at Chris and Emily, "right?"

Chris nodded immediately, probably thinking that Mike was being paranoid, but was being cautious anyway. Emily took a few more moments to consider what had been said before agreeing. "Fine, but it's all going to turn out to be nonsense anyway."

Sam got up from her spot on the couch and returned to the bathroom to take a shower. She let the hot water wash over her and lathered her body with lavender scented soap, letting the bubbles caress her. She tried to focus on the shower rather than what Mike had said. She didn't want to believe something was going on. She stayed in the shower longer than she usually did, which was a feat in itself considering her normal showers had been known to take up to an hour, and focused on what she could do to keep her and her friends safe. She had already lost Beth, Josh, Hannah.

Hannah.

She and Hannah were friends, and she did nothing to help her. She just killed her once the opportunity presented itself. What if Hannah could've been saved? What if Josh could have been saved. It was unlikely Josh was still alive. Mike said he saw Josh get dragged away by Hannah. Who knows what she had done to him before she was blown up. She probably crushed his skull with her bare hands... The more Sam thought about it, the more she thought Beth was the lucky one. She died, her body was eaten, her last moments were likely lived in terror, but she never had to face the wendigos. She never had to face the consequences of that night. Sam couldn't believe she was thinking it, but she envied Beth.

Upset with herself, Sam made her way out of the shower and went to the room she shared with Emily. Emily was laying on her stomach with a fashion magazine open on one side of her bed, her psychology textbook open on the other side. Somehow, she seemed equally immersed in both of them at the same time.

Sam sighed and made her way to her pajamas, putting on a pair of leggings and sports bra, long sleeve t-shirt, and throwing her hair up into a bun. "I'm going to go for a run. Care to join me?"  
Emily looked up from what she had been reading, the textbook, and gave Sam a look that easily read 'are you fucking kidding me?' Sam shrugged and left the room, making her way to the front door and outside, letting the cool air wash over her. "Alright Sam, let's be even faster today." She set the stopwatch on her phone and started to run. She might not be throwing up chunks in the bathroom, or actively trying to slit her wrists, but she had her own scars. Attempting to become fast enough to outrun a wendigo was just part of that. With each step she motivated herself with 'I'm sorry Hannah. I'm sorry Josh. I'm sorry Beth.' The meeting she had with Mike was forgotten.


	3. Healing

Chapter Two: Healing

“Are you okay, Ash?” Chris looked at Ashley with worry in his eyes. She had come to the guys side of the house, the side she generally avoided because of the “guy smell” that seemed to cling to everything. Chris noticed Ashley was dressed in what would be Ashley’s normal pajamas, a pair of green, plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt that advertised a school event she didn’t even attend. She had her hair up in a bun and was wearing her glasses instead of her usual contacts. 

Ashley shrugged. “I had a nightmare and woke up, and Jess is really making too much noise for me to really go back to sleep.” 

“Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight? I’ll take the floor or couch or something.” Chris shared a room with Mike and Matt, but both were already asleep. Chris would’ve been asleep, if it weren’t for the constant distraction of his cellphone. Chris would get to bed by midnight most nights, if not earlier, but would easily be up until two or three in the morning because he would get bored trying to fall asleep and distract himself with the device. Chris assumed Ashley knew this, or she wouldn’t have come to see Chris. 

Ashley shook her head. “I’m not going to make you sleep somewhere else just because I can’t sleep.”

Chris sat up off his bed, blushing when he realized that he was only wearing his boxer briefs. He quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants that were crumpled on the floor, hoping Ashley didn’t notice his embarrassment. He wasn’t sure she did; she was facing the other way, attempting to hide a blush that was spreading across her face. “Sorry,” he stuttered out, “I didn’t know you were coming-”

“No... it’s alright.” 

“I just-”

“Seriously, Chris. It’s not a big deal. I can go find something else to do, if you want.” Chris felt his heart speed up. He didn’t want Ashley to go. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with her. Chris spared a glance at Mike, asleep in his bed. If Mike was right -a slim chance- and there was something going on... No. There was nothing going on. It’s all in his head. 

Chris took Ashley’s hand in his and smiled. “Ash, come on.” 

Chris led her to the living room where Chris had met with Mike, Sam and Emily only a few hours ago. He took a breath, feeling bad about keeping a secret from Ashley. He didn’t want to screw things up. She kissed him in the lodge, and they have gone on a few dates since, but there was nothing definite about their relationship yet. There seemed to be a mutual agreement that nothing was going to happen between the two of them until this whole mess was sorted out. Nearly a year later, though, Chris was beginning to think things would never be in the past. “Have you eaten today?”

Ashley nodded. “Yeah, I had a strawberry crisp bar and a mint chocolate chip brownie.” Chris sighed. He knew what Ashley was talking about. Those were items that were in the pantry that were packaged with very little caloric intake. If she took her vitamins, it means she had only eaten two-hundred and five calories that day. 

“Ashley, you need to eat more.” Chris was concerned for Ashley. She was eating, that was true, but the amount was so little... 

“Let me make you dinner. Come on.” 

“No, Chris, it’s alright. I’m good.” 

Chris smiled at Ashley, trying to get on her good side. “I want to, Ash.”

Ashley gave into Chris’ request and shrugged. “Fine.” 

They went to the kitchen and Ashley sat at the bar, able to see everything Chris was grabbing out of the fridge and pantry. He looked at the items in there and wondered what he could possibly make. Jessica couldn’t eat gluten, Emily was lactose intolerant, Sam was a vegetarian, and Ashley was picky as hell, so there were very little options in the pantry and fridge. Eventually his eyes landed on cans of tomato and pasta. He knew there was some ground beef in the fridge somewhere, and there was a box of gluten free penne. He pulled out the ingredients and started attempting to cook. “What on earth are you trying to make?” 

Chris gave a sheepish smile. “Spaghetti?” 

Ashley shook her head. “No.” Ashley got up and made her way to Chris’ mess. “There is no corn in spaghetti.” Chis hadn’t even noticed he grabbed the can of corn instead of the can of mushrooms. “Let me. I’ve had your cooking before. You’re not that great.” 

Chris rolled his eyes. “Come on, surely I can’t be that bad.” 

“You’re pretty bad. Just let me handle this.” Chris was pleasantly surprised to see how well Ashley handled herself in the kitchen. He noticed she had a variety of hidden talents, like being a pretty good singer, or being able to do a killer british and scottish accents. He liked seeing this side of Ashley. 

It took Ashley about fifteen minutes to finish the pasta and meat sauce. She pulled out a pair of bowls and grabbed them each a bottle of water. “Want to watch a movie?” Chris asked her. She smiled, her mouth full of the tasty, but very mediocre spaghetti. 

Her smile was answer enough. Of course she would want to watch a movie. “Which one?” Chris felt a bit of pressure on himself. He knew Ashley liked musicals. She was always in her room watching illegal tapings of Heathers or Spring Awakening, and he had gone to see Les Miserables with her and the rest of the gang when that movie came out. He remembered she cried, though, in all honesty, he had no idea what was going on. 

“Want to watch a musical?” She nodded. Of course she did. “Alright, then.” He turned on the television and flipped through the various musicals that were on demand. “Um... Rent?” He remembered hearing about that one somewhere. 

“Yeah, um... no. Still have nightmares about the orgy scene when I worked on that show.” That’s where he had heard about Rent. Ashley was a part of the crew for that show at a local production a little over a year ago so she could get some volunteer hours for some club she was in at the time. 

“Okay, no Rent.” He browsed through the musicals and saw a name that looked very familiar. “Sweeny Todd?” He knew Ashley likes Johnny Depp. She’s practically obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Still, the answer was no. “It’ll be at least a few more years before I can watch Sweeny Todd again. Not since... you know.”

Chris actually had no idea what Sweeny Todd was about, so he just nodded. “Alright.” He was running out of options. He started tapping his leg with his pointer and middle finger, feeling pressured to make a decision. “Do you want to watch Les Miserables? I know we watched that together already, but-” 

Ashley laughed and put her dish in the sink before coming over to help Chris. “I appreciate the effort, but why don’t I just pick a one, huh?” 

Chris shrugged and tried to play it off, straightening his shoulders and giving a crooked smile. “Sorry, Ash. I don’t know many movies outside of action movies.” 

Ashley, once again, laughed. Chris noticed the crinkles by her eyes and the way genuine joy was lighting up her eyes. “That’s a lie! I know you have a collection of Sandra Bullock Rom-Com’s on your laptop, and I’ve walked in on you watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding more than once!” Chris opened his mouth at this to protest, but no words came out. He could feel the blood rushing to his face, turning his face into a very bright shade of red. “Come on, I know a movie we can watch. Don’t look though.” 

Chris found himself fascinated with the fairytale musical Ashley had turned on. “What is this?” he asked about a quarter of the way through.

Ashley let out a low chuckle. “You’re enjoying it, I take it?”

Chris let out a laugh at this. “More than I would like to admit.” 

Ashley put her head down on his shoulder and sighed. “It’s called Into the Woods.” She fell asleep not long after that her head resting on his lap, her legs spread out on the couch. Chris couldn’t help but feel comfortable like this. He liked the way Ashley made him feel. He liked being around her. He stayed up and watched the entire musical before he fell asleep, hunched over, his head resting on Ashley. They would be like this the next morning when Sam walked in to make herself breakfast. She would take a picture of the two of them, because they all needed a bit of happiness in life.


	4. Family

Chapter Three: Family

Mike woke up quickly once his alarm went off, but made slow careful movements, as if to be able to freeze at a moment’s notice. Immediately he noticed he wasn’t alone in the room. Matt was fast asleep on his bed, blue comforter was pulled up around the lump, only the top of his head was visible. That was enough for Mike, though. What was more concerning was the fact that Chris was nowhere to be found. Chris was known to sleep until one or so unless someone got him up. This immediately put Mike on edge. He grabbed the plastic butter knife he kept under his pillow -the psychologists wouldn’t give him access to anything else that could be used as a weapon- and made his way to Chris’ bed. He noticed that it was cold. There was no evidence that Chris had been there for several hours. 

Immediately Mike’s mind went into overdrive. What if the wendigo came in and took Chris in the middle of the night? Matt and Mike would both have been asleep, neither of them would have been moving, but Chris would have been messing around on his phone, running his fingers over touch-screens and keyboards. Moving. The wendigo could have certainly picked up on those movements. Mike made his way over to the door, cautiously putting his hand on the handle. His three fingers on his left hand were ready to pull down on the silver handle, his right hand was held above his head, the knife ready to go in case in needed to shove it into a wendigo’s head. He pulled down on the handle and peered out slowly. No sign of the monster. It was safe to take a step forward. He looked around the hall and made his way over to the living room. Mike let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He saw Ashley asleep on Chris’ lap, his head hunched over on her back. He had never been so relieved to see someone cuddling their girlfriend. “Cute, isn’t it?” 

Mike physically jumped and felt his heart beat in his chest. “Oh fuck! Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” He calmed down once he saw it was just Sam in the kitchen, making herself a vegan smoothie of some sort for breakfast. 

“Scare you?” Sam chuckled. 

Mike tried to play it off, shrugging, acting like it wasn’t a big deal. “I was just flattering you. You were trying to scare me, weren’t you?” 

Sam laughed. “Sure. Sure.” She then let out a laugh. “I’m surprised you didn’t wake up the whole house with that scream.”

“I wasn’t trying to wake them up. If I was, they would be.” He let out a sigh and made his way over to the pantry, grabbing a box of cereal, before making his way to the fridge, grabbing the milk, careful not to grab Sam’s soy-hemp-almond-fake-wannabe milk, and grabbing a bowl from one of the cabinets. Sam worked on her smoothie, adding the fake milk and lots of greens he didn’t care to learn the names of, to the blender. They were silent for a few minutes. It was making Mike uncomfortable. He was dying to break it. He looked around, trying to figure out where all the cameras were, as to make sure he didn’t attract attention to themselves from the psychologists, but seeing how it was six thirty in the morning, he wasn’t too concerned. The people watching them were probably half asleep. “Find any leads?”

Sam looked confused. “Any what?” 

“Leads, you know? When I got you, Em and Chris in here?” 

Realization crossed Sam’s face. “Right.” She focused on pouring her smoothie into a large cup with a paper straw. “To be completely honest, Mike, I think you’re just paranoid.” 

Mike shook his head. “No, I’m not. I know I’m not. Sam, I was there, the psychiatrists offices, for my therapy session, you know, and I went to the bathroom, when I heard these doctors talking about some sort of plan. They said something about the ‘survivors’ and ‘putting us to the test.’ Sam, that’s got to be us. There’s no one else here! Why do you think that we’ve been in this house for so long? They don’t care about our health that much. They’re using us for something. I want- no, I need to find out what they’re using us for!” 

Mike noticed Sam take a breath in slowly, as if she was trying to think things through. “Why don’t you call your sister and talk this over with her? Get a third party who isn’t involved in this mess to give their opinion?” 

Mike rolled his eyes, initially, then thought about it. Yeah. His sister. She would either agree with them, or talk some sense into him, and she wouldn’t freak out like either of his parents. “Alright.” 

Mike finished eating his cereal and went to the porch outside, so he could get a bit of privacy while talking to his sister. He looked around carefully. The sun was starting to lighten the sky. The wendigos wouldn’t come after him at this time... he hoped. 

Mike was close to his sister, would say she was realistically one of his best friends. She was a year younger than him, a year below him. Currently she was in her freshman year of college, similarly to Jess, Ashley and Matt. The two of them grew up together playing Mario Kart in his room or watching Jungle Book and 101 Dalmatians in her room. They drifted apart in high school, when Mike became incredibly popular and she drifted into the background. He hung out with his group of friends and had a string of girlfriends and went to parties while she focused on her extra-curriculars and avoided overly large, crowded social scenes at all costs. Most people didn’t even know he had a sister. Still, he knew he could always count on her. She would cover for him when he missed curfew or was too hungover to go to church and family lunch on Sunday mornings. Smiling, he opened his contact list and scrolled down his contacts until he saw the one that said Katie, and called her. He hadn’t talked to her in a while.

She answered the call, though her voice was tired. “Hello?”

He forgot she slept in almost as much as Chris. “Hey, Katie.”

He could hear the smile in her voice, though it was disguised in a sleepy voice. “Hey, Mike. What’s up?”

“I actually had a question for you.” 

“Hit me.” She seemed unsurprised by this.

“Do you think it’s possible that the psychologists could be using us for some case study or something?” Mike asked the question carefully, so he wouldn’t freak out his sister.

He heard her take a breath and think about it. “I don’t think it’s impossible. Why?”

Mike sighed. “I overheard the psychologists saying something the other day while I was at my therapy session.”

Katie seemed a bit more interested in this. “What did they say?” 

Mike let out a chuckle. “I might be paranoid, but I heard them say ‘they were going to put us to the test,’ or some bullshit like that.”

He could almost see Katie nodding her head. “Well, it’s possible, but I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal. You’re probably overreacting. You went through a lot. You’re mind is going into overdrive, which is understandable. If it does turn into something, call me back, alright?”

Mike nodded, though he knew she couldn’t see it. “Of course. Call me if you ever need anything, ‘right?”

He could hear her laugh. “Sure.” There was a pause. “Be safe, kay?”

“I will. You too.” He knew she would.

“But I’ve got some dank weed I want to hit up!” They both laughed. “Love you.”

“You too. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up the phone and went back inside where Sam was waiting for him. “Katie says I’m probably overreacting. She said it’s possible they’re going to test us, but it won’t be anything big, like I was thinking it would be.” 

Sam nodded. “Thought so.” 

Mike went back to his room and started to get ready for his classes for the day, political science, composition and a seminar class. He and Sam were the only ones who took early morning classes. There was a city bus leaving for the campus in about half an hour that he needed to catch. He didn’t have a car like Ashley or Matt, or a bike like Sam. He had to depend on the bus to get to classes. 

He threw himself into his schoolwork, focusing on making a 4.0 in all his classes. It wasn’t because he was particularly motivated to be a good student, it was because he needed a distraction. As far as distractions go, school was a good one. It kept him from going insane.


	5. Meditation

Chapter Four: Meditation

“Dammit!” Emily looked up at Matt’s outburst. The two of them were sitting in the University Center, a large building at the college they attended that contained a few fast food chains and a large dining area. They were sitting at one of the small circular tables. Matt had his notes and textbook open, hi-lighters and pens scattered everywhere, pepperoni pizza that was in his hand a second ago face down on his text book. 

Emily, on the other hand, had her side of the table well organized; there was a salad covered with bright colored vegetables and a deep red vinaigrette. She had her laptop open and had several word documents on her screen, all half written papers that were due within the next couple of days. She looked up from her screen and shrugged. “That sucks, babe.”

Matt picked up the pizza off his textbook and sighed. “This book is a rental. I’ll probably have to pay a fee or something because of this.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t eat pizza, then.” She took a bite of her salad and looked back at her laptop, making a smug face as she was doing so. 

“What’s your problem, Em?” Matt could feel himself getting frustrated. Emily had done nothing but question him and criticize him over the past months. 

“Nothing! What the hell, Matt?” Emily felt herself growing defensive, her voice becoming louder and higher pitched. She did not want to deal with this. When Matt backed off and said nothing, she felt herself get more and more ticked off. “Seriously, do you have a problem with me? Why don’t you just stop being a freaking prick and get the balls to talk to me?” 

That did it for Matt. He was done. He couldn’t take the abuse anymore. “Want to know what my problem is, Em? It’s you! You’ve been treating me like... like shit ever since we got out! Why do you keep treating me like this? What have I ever done to you?” Emily slammed her laptop closed and started packing up her stuff. She wasn’t going to hang around this douche bag when he didn’t even know what the hell he did to get her to treat him like this. “Where are you going?” 

“Anywhere away from here. I can’t fucking deal with this right now.” She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, ignoring the weight of the books that strained it. Before she stormed completely off, though, she turned and looked at him, ice in her eyes. “I almost died because of you. You left me for dead! I barely survived that fucking fire tower, you know?” She left before Matt could speak up and defend himself and his actions. 

In frustration, Matt threw the pizza covered textbook off the table, causing him to get several strange looks from the neighboring tables. Sighing, he picked his book back up and looked at his pizza. He didn’t really feel like finishing it. He just pushed it to the side and dug himself back into studying, not processing the words he read at all, just looking and occasionally turning a page. 

He couldn’t get Emily out of his head. She hated him for jumping away on the fire tower. She hated him for abandoning her. How was he supposed to know the fire tower would collapse as soon as he got to safer ground? He was trying to help Emily! He couldn’t blame her for hating him, though. She was right to. He would feel the same way if he were abandoned. Matt thought about the razor he had back at the house. He knew the psychiatrists had tried to keep him away form as many as they could, but he had a small collection he had been making, keeping in a secret spot. “Is this seat taken?” Matt jumped when he heard Jessica’s voice. He looked up to see the familiar blonde. 

He shook his head. “Not anymore.” 

Matt knew Jess noticed how tense he was. “Are you okay?”

Matt sighed. “I was just dealing with Emily again.” 

Jess nodded her head. She understood. “I’d say give it time, but time doesn’t seem to be helping, huh?”

“Nope. Seems to be making things worse, if I’m honest.” Matt picked up his pizza and bit into it. His appetite was starting to return. 

Jess pulled out her laptop and started typing away. Matt wasn’t sure what she was researching, nor did her particularly care. He was mesmerized by her fingers typing though. She was starting to get back to her old self. He might not have been the one to save Emily, but he saved Jess. She was just as important, wasn’t she? 

Matt had met Jessica and Ashley when they were little. There was a swing set on the school playground and a pudgy little girl with long braids, and a small redhead, holding tightly to a book with a cat on the cover, were being tormented by a group of five boys in his class. The two girls had been sitting on two of the six seats, but the boys were demanding they give up their seats so they could play. The girls said they had just gotten on and it was their turn on the swing set, but the boys wouldn’t have it. Before long they had thrown the pudgy blonde girl off the swing and were pulling her braids, while they ripped the cover off the red head’d book. Both were crying. Matt was scared by the boys, there was more of them, but he knew he couldn’t sit this out. “Leave them alone!” he remembered calling out to the bullies. The attention turned away from the girls and over to him. The girls had managed to run away before they could be hurt anymore. That didn’t stop the bullies from hurting Matt, though. He had been tackled and punched in the face before the teachers noticed and made their way over to him, stopping the fight. The boys had all gotten in trouble, but when Matt was finally allowed to play at recess again, the two girls came up to him, introducing themselves as Jessica and Ashley. They had all been friends ever since. 

The change came when they were freshman in high school. Jessica was suddenly pretty, causing Emily and Mike to take an interest in her as their pet project, and Ashley had met Chris, Hannah and Beth in one of her electives. Matt met Sam and Josh in gym class, and, not long after that, their group was formed, almost completely inseparable. 

No one ever could have seen the events of Blackwood coming. 

Matt snapped out of his train of thought and looked over at Jessica. Despite everything, they were still friends. Somehow, he knew that they would always be, no matter what fights they had. He could still see her as the pudgy girl with braids. 

It was sudden when Matt noticed Jess had nothing besides her laptop on the table, no food anywhere. “Aren’t you going to eat?” Matt asked.

Jess shook her head. “Accidentally left my money back at the house.” 

Matt got up. “Watch the stuff. I’ll be right back.” 

Jessica just assumed he was going to the bathroom and didn’t notice him slipping into the line for Panda Express. He found whatever gluten free, spicy food he could. He knew Jessica was gluten free and liked spice. He remembered that from years of friendship. He then grabbed her a bottle of water and went to checkout, paying for the meal with a bot of cash he had. When he got back, Jessica was surprised. “You didn’t have to get me food.”

“Yeah I did. Couldn’t have let you not eat.” 

Jessica moved her laptop to the side and grabbed her chopsticks, using them masterfully. “So, what’s going on with you and Emily?”

Matt wanted to bang his head against the table. “I’m not even sure anymore. She’s insane! She thinks everything I did on the mountain was to spite her. I think she forgets that we all had to deal with the mountain, not just her. It’s just annoying.”

“Well, have you talked to her?” Matt could see Jessica was trying to make sense of the situation.

“Every time I try we just end up fighting and she storms away. Later she’s going to come up to me and start kissing me and start saying she forgives me, and before I can really process what happened, we would have had sex, and I completely forget what I’m angry about.”

“Well, why don’t you find a mediator to sit in and make you guys talk?” 

Matt nodded. That was a good idea. “I’ll think about it. Who would I get to mediate, though? Emily can’t stand Mike or Ashley, or you, to be frank, and Chris would probably accidentally cause more harm than good.”

“Ask Sam. She’d probably help.” 

Matt nodded. “Alright. I’ll ask Sam after classes today,” he then redirected focus on Jessica. “So, are your classes going alright today?”

Matt hardly noticed as Jess raced into this long story about how terrible her classes were and who had done what, when and why. He just enjoyed talking to her.


	6. Security

Chapter Five: Security 

“It’s about time we had a day off! I swear this class is going to kill me.” 

Ashley noticed Chris roll his eyes at her exaggeration. She was both aware General Psych was not going to be the actual death of them, but the course itself was a pain in the ass. “Come on, Ash. It’s not that bad.”

“I never said it was. It’s just hard for me to get motivated for a class I’m not interested in.”

Chris shrugged. “I would’ve thought you’d be into it. I mean, psychology would help you understand the characters for your stories better, wouldn’t it?” 

Of course the class would help in that regard, but it still didn’t change the fact the class made her uncomfortable. With all the psychologists and psychiatrists running around, studying her every movement, acting like they cared in therapy, trying to dissect her every thought, trying to explain where this “idea” of a wendigo came from... there was a bad taste in her mouth at the thought. She shook her head and she and Chris walked to her car, a red Nissan Rogue, trying to change the subject to something she was more comfortable with. “Do you want to do something tonight?”

“It’s Tuesday, Ash. What could you possibly have in mind?” Chris was rolling his eyes, trying to think of something elaborate, but Ashley noticed the smile on his face. He did want to hang out. He never said no.

“Why don’t we bake a cake?” She pressed the button to start her car and looked at the back-up cam as she pulled out of the parking spot. The silver toyota was parked a little to close to her for her liking. 

“A cake?” Chris was laughing. Ashley knew about Chris’ dismal cooking and baking skills, though. There was a part of her that just wanted see how much flour he got covered in. She wanted to show him she was getting better. She wasn’t just going to throw up. She would keep the food down. 

“Don’t laugh! Why shouldn’t we bake one? We can run to the store on our way back and pick up some, like, coconut and pecans and cream cheese and make an Italian Cream Cake, or something.” That was one of her favorite types of cake, and she knew Chris wouldn’t say no to Italian Cream. There was another reason for her wanting to have cake. She wanted to have something to celebrate. It was a year ago when their lives changed forever. She didn’t want to think about what that meant. She just wanted to keep herself distracted as long as possible.

“Fine then. We’ll make cake.” 

The trip to the store took about half an hour, when it really should have only taken ten minutes or less. Chris kept getting distracted by the cell phone models that were on display (“Who in their right mind would call that a smartphone?”) and Ashley kept getting distracted by the pet section (“I should totally get a dog next semester! What do you think, Chris?”). Once they got back to the house, everyone was back from class. Emily was giving could shoulders to everyone and was sitting at the kitchen table, trying to focus on her textbook. Matt and Mike were sitting on the couch, playing Call of Duty far too seriously -Chris looked at this vaguely jealous- and Sam and Jessica were working on a speech that Sam needed to present for her Environmental Studies class. If anyone hadn’t known better, it probably would have looked like a normal group of roommates who hadn’t had a terribly scarring past. 

As Ashley showed Chris what to do with the different ingredients for the cake, a sweet smell started to fill the air. Ashley started to cough. Then everyone started to cough. Ashley could sense the corners of her vision going fuzzy, getting darker and darker. She couldn’t keep standing. She collapsed to the floor, not even noticing cake batter from the mixing spoon she had in her hands had gone all over the place. She saw Chris fall to the ground, too. She reached out a hand for him but she couldn’t reach. She tried to reach but her vision kept getting darker and darker- 

***

She woke up, her hands cold. This wasn’t unusual. Ashley was always cold. She sometimes had to sleep with long pants and fuzzy socks on because of how cold she got when she slept. This was different, though. She was wearing clothes from yesterday. She was able to be comfortable in her clothes, but she didn’t go to sleep in jeans and long sleeved shirts, and she most definitely did not sleep in her shoes. Where she woke up was dark. She could barely see in front of her. She stood up and patted her pockets, looking for her phone to find a light source. No luck. She walked forward, hands towards the wall, trying to find a light switch. She wasn’t paying attention to the ground and fell, face first, tripping over a large lump. “Oww...” she sat up and rubbed her cheekbone, which took a large amount of the impact. At the same time she heard someone let out a startled scream. 

“Wah!” The lump Ashley was on was moving around frantically, trying to get their bearings. A second later a lighter was lit and a face was illuminated in the darkness. “Ashley?”

“Mike?”Ashley was confused. Where did Mike come from? It didn’t matter. They were here. Mike got to his feet and helped Ashley get to hers.

“Where the hell are we?” Ashley could hear the nervousness in his voice, though he was trying to disguise it.

“I have no idea,” she responded, attempting to show as little of her fear as possible. She wasn’t very successful, as her voice came out shaky.

With the light from the lighter helping, it didn’t take long for Ashley and Mike to find the light switch. When she saw where she was, she stifled a scream. It was the living area of the Washington lodge, but different. It felt new, somehow. Ashley looked at Mike, and noticed he was just as shocked as she was. “Why the hell are we back here?” Mike’s voice was a harsh whisper, one that encompassed terror. “How the hell are we back here?” 

Ashley felt herself shaking her head back and forth. “No. No, no, no, no,” she looked around the room, trying to make sense of the situation. It didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense. She did the only thing she could think of to do, call out for help. “Chris? Chris are you here?” She was getting more and more frantic by the second. There was no sign of Chris. 

Ashley vaguely heard Mike shushing her, but she ignored it, until he came over and put his hand over her mouth. “Come on, Ashley. We can’t be loud. The wendigos...” 

Ashley nodded, feeling the tears spark in her eyes. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach. “Mike, how is this possible?”

She saw something flash in Mike’s eyes. It was obvious he was suspicious, but nothing definite was coming to him. Ashley decided to avoid questioning him until he was more certain. Instead, she chose to let a few tears drop before regaining her composure. She was scared was the understatement of the century. She was terrified. She felt her knees starting to give out. She was shaking uncontrollably, to the point that Mike had to come over and support her. “Come on, Ash. We’ll be okay.”

Ashley looked at Mike and shook her head. “How can you be sure of that? We’re back here! This is basically our own circle of hell? And where is Chris? Where are the others?” 

Ashley saw Mike sigh. She wanted to calm down, think all of this through logically, but couldn’t manage to do so. She was terrified of being here. “We have to make sure this place is real. Maybe we’re on at a simulation, or something. It’s possible we’re not at Blackwood at all.” 

Ashley nodded. “Alright.” She followed Mike as he made his way towards the door. “Should we look for the others?” 

Mike shook his head. “We need to figure out if this place is real or not, first. It’s possible we’re the only ones here.” 

This didn’t settle well with Ashley, but she knew she didn’t have any other choices but to go with Mike. She was at least glad she had her boots and jacket with her. Mike was wearing a t-shirt and sneakers. When she took her first step outside and into the snow, she let out an involuntary shiver, not just from the cold, but from the nerves as well. “So, what are we going to do? Like, where are we going?”

Mike looked around, trying to come up with a plan of action. “Let’s go check out the cable car. If no one is there, we’ll go back to the estate and bunker in the basement. I really don’t want to be out here when it gets dark.”

Ashley nodded. “Okay.” It was a plan, at least. “Let’s go.”


	7. Reconcile

Chapter Six: Reconcile 

Emily heard a couple of people talking around her, a guy and a girl. She kept her eyes closed, though. Her head was killing her. She sat up, sighing. She heard the people gasp, but didn’t particularly care. “Ow, my head.”

She felt a pair of hands on her, helping her stand up. “Take it easy, Em. You have a knot on your forehead. It looks like you hit it against something pretty hard.” She didn’t remember hitting her head. She opened her eyes and she saw Chris standing there, Jessica standing a couple of feet behind him.   
“Get away from me!” She pushed Chris off of her, quite pissed off. She didn’t know why the hell she had this knot on her head. It was a moment before she looked around, realizing where she was. “Why the fuck are we here?” It was the Washington’s guest cabin. 

Chris shook his head. “I don’t know. I woke up and we were just here.” He looked over at Jessica, who was staring at the floor, doing everything in her power to avoid looking at Emily. Emily shook her head. 

“Fine then. Where is everyone else?” She was starting to get a grip, not wanting to be trapped here any longer than she had to be. First priority was to get away from here before night came. The next priority was to figure out how they had gotten in this situation. The larger the group, the safer they would all be, statistically. If nothing else, the odds of her getting singled out and eaten became significantly less. She hated to say it, but it was all odds whether she could outlive a wendigo again. 

Jessica finally spoke up, talking to Emily. It seemed like the severity of the situation was finally hitting her. “We don’t know. We woke up and it was just us in here.”

Emily looked at the door. “Well, we should try to get to a better shelter. The lodge, maybe?”

Chris looked at her confused. “Why would we go to the lodge? It blew up.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “There was an underground part, remember? That wouldn’t have blown up, it was concrete. It will probably be the most safe place we can be.” 

Chris and Jessica reluctantly agreed to Emily’s plan, like they had a choice. If Emily decided something, it wasn’t worth going against her. It would just piss her off in the long run. Emily opened the door, not noticing the window had been repaired. She had no reason to take notice. Jessica noticed, though. She shivered as she walked by, not wanting to remember being dragged through. She hadn’t realized really how small that window was. She was surprised she was able to get through. 

Emily led them down the path, confidently striding down the path. Jessica walked in the middle, while Chris took the rear, being hyper observant, keeping an eye out for any signs of the others, as well as any signs of the wendigos. They had enough time to make it to where the lodge used to be, foreseeing there were no unexpected surprises. “So what if we don’t find the others?” Jessica asked. 

“Well that means they aren’t here. Or they’re dead.” Emily’s words were harsh, causing Jessica to take a step away. She wanted to confront Emily, but any confidence she had was shattered last year. Being here fucked her up more than she liked to admit. She decided she was better off just following. She could start a fight when they got back out of the mountain. 

Chris stopped suddenly on the path, holding still as possible, barely breathing. “Guys,” he whispered, “I heard something.” 

Immediately Emily and Jessica stopped walking, following Chris’ example, freezing in the face of danger. Chris let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was nothing but a wolf. “Oh thank goodness-”

Emily took this as her cue to get pissed. “What the hell, Chris? You’re going to get us worked up over a dog?”

Chris stammered, “I- I just saw something moving. I didn’t know it was a wolf!” 

She ignored his protests and kept walking. “Whatever. Let’s just keep going. We won’t get anywhere at this rate.” 

They were got a bit further down the path before Emily made another snarky comment. “So, why the hell is it following us?”

Jessica was hit with a wave of realization. “What if it’s that wolf Mike found? He said he found one in the Sanatorium.” Jessica crouched down, but Chris took a protective stance beside Jessica. 

“Be careful. Josh told me there were a lot of wolves here.” Jessica nodded and held a hand out to the wolf, being careful to not make any sudden movements in case it was a wild wolf. Chris let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when the wolf pressed his nose gently into Jessica’s hand. It was tame, well, as take as it could be living in the mountains. 

Emily stood to the side, not willing to admit that she was secretly jealous of the way the wolf was showing affection to Jess -Jessica. She wasn’t Jess anymore, not since she stabbed her in the back, getting with Mike only weeks after they broke up. Jessica had always been better with animals than Emily. She took out her frustration on the situation. “Who cares? It’s a fucking dog. We need to keep moving.” She wouldn’t admit that having the wolf with them would probably be beneficial. 

Jessica turned on Emily, finally done with all her bullshit. “What the hell is your problem, Em? You’ve had a problem with me ever since I started seeing Mike! You knew I liked him even before you guys even started dating! You shouldn’t even be pissed, you know? You have Matt, don’t you? Or are you guys on the rocks again? Is he ignoring you? It’s your own fucking fault you guys have such a shitty relationship, and you know it too!” 

She let it out. “You don’t date your best friend’s ex! You just don’t! Do you know how much it hurt me to see that he chose you over me? It’s like we broke up just so he could get with you, and you just keep rubbing it in my fucking face!” 

“It’s not my fault your such an insensitive bitch!” The girls were about to tear at one another’s throats, claws coming out, words that should have been spoken a long time ago were being yelled at one another at possibly the worst possible time. 

Chris couldn’t sit by and watch this anymore. He stepped in-between them, right before they clawed one another’s eyes out. “Okay, I understand you are upset, and, if we’re going to be completely honest, this is possibly the worst combination of people to be stuck together, but we need to get out of here. Can you two just wait until after were somewhere safe before you kill each other?” Emily and Jessica reluctantly agreed, stepping away from one another, not without Emily flipping Jessica off, and Jessica rolling her eyes in response. The wolf seemed to notice the tension and went to stand with Chris, who pet the wolf’s fur. “I know, boy. We just need to get through this.”

They walked in silence down the path, an occasional comment from Chris making an attempt to start an awkward situation, all attempt resulting in failure. He sighed, looking at the snow covered forest. He was lucky he had his coat with him. He noticed they were dumped in the mountain with the clothes they were wearing. Nothing to help the against the cold. He noticed Emily was without a coat and shivering. Reluctantly, he took off his coat and gave it to Emily. “Here. You look like you’re going to freeze.” 

She gave him a death glare. “I don’t need your help.” 

Chris rolled his eyes, but then gave her a small smile. “You need it more than I do. I’ve got a lot more meat on my bones than you do. You’ll freeze way before I do. Come on.”

Emily sighed, but took the coat, secretly grateful. Ashley was lucky that such a good guy was looking out for her. Suddenly she remembered Matt doing the same for her, giving her his letterman when they went to go see a movie, and they came outside and it was snowing. Matt had run to his car and told Emily to wait inside so she didn’t get cold. She sighed. She guessed she was pretty lucky too. When she found Matt next time, she was going to apologize to him, no matter how hard it was for her to do. Maybe they could start patching things up. 

When they got to the end of the path, all three were shocked to see what stood in front of them. The lodge was there, not blown up, in it’s complete Washington glory. “What the actual hell?” Emily didn’t know what was going on. They slowly walked to the front door. Emily took note of the footsteps leading away from the lodge. “Okay, we’re not alone here. That’s good to know.” Chris and Jessica looked at one another. “The real question is who footprints are those.” They opened the door to the lodge, cautiously, checking their surroundings carefully. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. “Let’s get to the basement.”


	8. Trapped

Chapter Seven: Trapped

Sam stood up, rubbing her head. Looking around, she was shocked. Matt was passed out in a pile of papers and broken glass that were scattered everywhere. Immediately she realized where she was, the cable car station in Blackwood. “What the hell?” She ran over to where Matt was and started trying to wake him up. “Matt, get up.”

Matt opened his eyes, blinking away sleep. “Wh- what?” His eyes were bleary with sleep and confusion. It only took him a few moments for him to look around and realize where he was. “What the hell?”

Sam shook her head. “I don’t know either, Matt.” She looked around, taking a deep breath, looking around at the mountain. “I never wanted to see another pine tree again.” She looked down the path from her viewpoint at the top of the station. For some reason, she was not surprised to see that it was blocked off. She was at least glad to see it was day time. The only other time she was this happy to see daylight was when she and the others had been rescued, taken up in the helicopter. She didn’t care that they all thought they were crazy. Daylight meant safety. Night was death. Seeing the path was blocked off, she quickly thought things through in her head. The lodge was burned down, so there would be no use going there. The sheds would probably provide some safety, but there was nothing that could keep a wendigo out. She had heard about the Sanatorium from Mike. The flamethrower guy had lived there safely for years. That could be potentially safe, but the captured wendigos also lived there. “Come on, think, Sam, there has to be a way out.” She never wanted to step foot in the mines again. She didn’t think she could take it. 

“Where are the others?” Matt’s sudden question suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Where were the others? Why were they here? Sam’s mind was racing with questions. Were the others even here, and if they were, why were they back? If they weren’t, then why were Sam and Matt the only ones on the mountain? 

“I- I don’t know.” Was it worth going out to search for them? Would they even be safe a second time? Sam tapped her foot. Could she outrun the wendigos? For now, their safety was priority. They could find out what happened later. “We need to go somewhere safe.”

Matt rolled his eyes, not necessarily towards Sam, but more towards the situation, making a tsking sound. “Yeah. I mean, where would we go, though?”

Sam thought about the layout. She had been the mountain several times. Her and Hannah would go exploring the mountain, knowing the woods nearly as well as their own houses. It was a fun past time. Would this information keep them safe, though? She didn’t think a wendigo would have trouble navigating through trees. She had never planned on going back to Blackwood. She didn’t ever think of an escape plan from wendigos on the mountain. If she did, she would just run to the street and get away. She felt trapped, like a mouse in a maze, like a bird in a cage. She sighed in frustration. Where could they go? Is it possible a part of the lodge could have survived? She remembered going into the tunnels, trying to find Mike with Ashley, Chris and Emily. Were they still there? Could those tunnels be safe? It was better than being out in the open. “We’ll go back to the lodge and into the tunnels. We can hide there. I don’t think a gas explosion would have destroyed those. They’re underground.”

Matt hadn’t ever been in the tunnels, but he knew they connected to the mines, where the wendigos roamed free. Still, it was better than being in the open. “Alright. Let’s go.”

They walked down the path, both hyper vigilant, ready to fight, flee, or freeze at a moment’s notice. There was nothing they could use to burn the wendigos, but Matt picked up a rather large tree branch. If nothing else, he could throw it at a wendigo. That could slow it down potentially. Sam looked around carefully, making as few movements as possible with each step. She had to keep reminding herself that wendigos could not see movement. No movement. No movement. She was appreciative that Matt had the branch. It would do no good against the creature, but it was a good security blanket. They had to get to safety first, then they could devise a plan to get out of here. Surviving until dawn the first time seemed to be a miracle in itself. Surviving twice would be nearly impossible, if there was a wendigo loose on the mountain. “Sam, can I ask you something?” 

The sudden interruption was welcome to Sam. Walking in silence, avoiding talking about where they were was driving Sam insane. “Sure. What’s up?”

“I know this probably isn’t the time, but, has Emily said anything about me? You’re her roommate, so I guess if anyone has heard anything it’s you.” She sighed. She pitied poor Matt. Emily had said some things when she thought Sam was asleep. She said them on the phone, to people who Sam didn’t know. She would say how bothersome and dramatic he was being. She knew Matt wasn’t. In fact, he was almost the opposite. 

Sam could either tell Matt what Emily had been saying, or avoid the subject. Had Matt been stronger, she would have told him. Instead, she lied. “Not really. She’s mostly been doing homework and focusing on her classes.”

Matt looked relieved at this. “Really?”

Sam could tell him the truth. Should she? She sighed. She couldn’t. Matt needed happiness, whatever little Emily could provide for him. “Nope. Nothing. She hasn’t told me anything. I’d talk to her if I were you. If you two are having issues-”

Matt cut her off. “No, it’s fine. Thanks Sam.” He gave her a genuine smile. “That’s good to know.”

She felt terrible. “You’re welcome.” 

They had barely gotten any further when they heard sounds. They both stopped in their tracks. “Don’t move,” Sam said. At the same time, the sound stopped. Both Sam and Matt took the most shallow breaths of their life. A rock came flying through the air towards them. Reflexively, Sam flinched. She immediately regretted it, hoping a fatal mistake had not been made. Her prayers were answered.

She heard a voice. “It looks like it’s safe, Ash. We need to keep moving.” Ash? She recognized the voiced. It wasn’t Chris. Still, she couldn’t be certain. Wendigos could mimic human voices. A wendigo could be pretending. 

Matt didn’t know this, though. She nearly yelled when Matt went running. “Ashley? Mike? Is that you?” Matt disappeared just through the trees where the sound was coming from.

“Matt?” Sam sighed when she heard Ashley’s voice. There was no screaming. Matt seemed to be alive. 

Sam ran over to join them, relieved she would get to live another day. Relieved to see familiar faces in the mountain. That joy was short lived when she realized what this meant, though. They were all in the mountain. Chris, Emily and Jessica were still missing. They could be dead.


	9. Intuition

Chapter Eight: Intuition 

“Matt, Sam, what are you doing here?” Mike was shocked to see the duo, almost as mismatched as he and Ashley. “I mean, I’m glad to see you.”

He noticed Sam nodding. “Glad to see you too. Where were you guys?”

Ashley spoke up. “The lodge.” She looked around, wide eyed and obviously scared. “Why are we back here? Have you seen the others? Chris?”

Mike put an arm over Ashley, trying to calm her down. She was worked up the entire time they were walking, afraid the wendigos were going to come out. He looked at Sam and Matt, both with shocked looks on their faces. “What do you mean the lodge? It blew up!” Matt’s voice was confused, shock filled.

Mike shook his head. “We don’t know why or how, but it was there. We just left. We were going to take the cable car down and escape before it got dark.”

Sam shook her head; Mike noticed a glint of worry sparking in her eyes. If she didn’t have a plan, he needed to make one. “Alright, why don’t we head back to the lodge? We can get everything set up in the basement and bunker there until tomorrow morning. We probably only have a couple of hours before it starts to get dark, and I don’t want to risk being out.” Sam and Matt nodded, but Mike noticed the concerned look on Ashley’s face. “What’s up, Ash?”

She took a deep breath. “What about the others? They’re out there. What if... what if the wendigos get to them before we do?”

Mike understood Ashley’s feelings. Jessica was missing too. “Okay, how about Sam and Matt get everything set up in the basement, and we’ll meet there in an hour or so. Ash, you and I can look for the others.” He saw the frightened look on Ashley’s face slowly morph into a reluctant brave one. Mike turned to Sam and Matt. “Is that okay with you?”

“We need a way to call each other, if something happens.” Matt’s face was filled with worry. Emily was missing, but Ashley was also one of his best friends. He honestly couldn’t say whether splitting up was a good idea or not. 

Everyone exchanged looks, not sure what to do. Phones had no service, some people didn’t even have their phones on them. Mike took a deep breath. They all had to be prepared for the worst. “If Ashley and I don’t come back in twenty-four hours, or make contact with you, assume we are dead.” There was a grave silence, but there was also understanding. “Get out of here when you can. Get back safely. Obviously no one believed us about the wendigos. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen again. People need to know what’s out there.” 

Matt and Sam seemed to have a grim look of acceptance on their face. Surviving the first time was lucky. Surviving a second time would be a miracle. It seemed to be understood that it was unlikely they would all make it back again. Sam pulled Ashley in for a quick hug, then giving Mike one. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

Mike nodded. He couldn’t do that. Not to Sam. “I won’t,” he said, but his heart was telling him otherwise. It seemed to say that he would die for her. Mike took a sudden breath. Why was he suddenly thinking this? He was with Jessica. He was in love with Jessica, but Sam was always in the back of his mind. What if? What if? There couldn’t be any what if’s. This was his fate. He had seen the way she and Josh looked at one another. She could never go for him, not when she was always thinking about Josh, not when he had Jessica. He turned away from Sam suddenly. “I’ll see you later.” He grabbed Ashley by the wrist and took her down the path, keeping an eye out. He and Ashley would plunge into the woods, staying where they could see the path, but hide easily. Matt and Sam headed back to the lodge. 

“Ow, Mike, let go.” Ashley pulled her wrist away from him and started massaging it, picking up snow to put on the wrist. “What was that for?”

Mike shook his head. “Sorry, Ash. I- I- We had to go. Sooner we find the others the sooner we get to go back to the lodge.”

Mike started to walk, Ashley following behind him. “It’s Sam, isn’t it?”

Mike turned around, looking at the intuitive girl. “What?”

Ashley started walking again. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell Jess as long as you don’t hurt her.”

“Wait. Wait wait wait wait. What do you mean, Ash?”

She smirked and rolled her eyes. “I can practically see the boner you have. You have a thing for Sam. She’s basically perfect, I don’t blame you. Hell, if I swung that way I’d probably have a thing for her. Just don’t act on it.” 

Mike nodded. “I wasn’t going to.”

Ashley gave him a sympathetic look. “It’s okay. You can’t control who you have feelings for. You just need to sort them out before someone gets hurt.” Ashley walked ahead of him, keeping an eye out for Chris. Mike took a deep breath. Ashley was right. He needed to figure things out. He knew what his answer was. He was with Jessica. He cared about her too much to leave her for some other girl, even if the other girl was Sam. Mike remembered finding Jessica in the mines, injured. He remembered how he felt when he thought she was dead. Maybe she started out as an easy fuck, but it turned into so much more. He actually started to care about her. She was more than just his friend and fuck buddy. She was his partner in crime. 

Mike caught up to Ashley, as to not let her get too far ahead. He could see the worry that she was trying to hide in her eyes. “We’ll find Chris. We’ll get everyone back to the lodge and wait it out.”

Ashley sighed. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him.” 

Mike nodded. Jessica and Sam flickered through his mind. “I know.”


	10. Courage

Chapter Nine: Courage

When Jessica heard the door open, then heard the voices of Sam and Matt, she let out a sigh of relief. They were here. They were alive. Jess was the one to go to the living room as soon as she heard the voices. They hadn’t been hiding out in the lodge for long. They were on their way to the basement, descending the stairs when the door opened. She noticed when Wolfie’s ears perked up and when he let out a low growl. “It’s okay, boy. Those are our friends.” She went back up the stairs as fast as she could, her limp slightly hindering her, until she saw the two of them, enveloping them in a giant hug. Chris and Emily on her heels. “Oh my gosh, I am so glad you guys are here!” 

Sam and Matt exchanged looks, a worried expression spreading across their faces. “Did you guys just get here?” Sam asked. 

Emily spoke up. “Yeah, we were at the cabin. I’m glad we got here when we did. It’s starting to get dark out.”

Jessica then noticed something. Mike was missing, as was Ash. Chris seemed to notice this too. “Where are Ash and Mike?” He was cautious with his words. She could feel the emotion he wasn’t trying to reveal. She knew worry was deep within him, it was all he could do not to scream out. She knew this because this is how she felt. “Have you seen them?”

Matt nodded. “Yeah, they actually went looking for you guys. They headed down the trail.” 

Jess looked at Chris in surprise, making a point to not make eye contact with Emily. She didn’t feel like seeing a sneer. “We didn’t see them?”

Chris shook his head. “No, we must have missed each other.”

“Should we go out and look for them?” Jessica asked. 

Sam objected to this. “They’ll be back. They were going out to look. They’ll make sure to be safe and to get back soon. It would be better if we wait right here.”

Jessica noticed Matt shaking his head. “Dammit. I knew something would happen.”

“What do you mean?” Her blue eyes were orbs of worry. She felt the scars on her chest starting to ache from memory. “You knew something would happen?”

Matt sighed. “I just wanted us all to be able to get in contact with each other, but none of us have service, so we just decided to split up. They said they would be back in twenty-four hours, or...” his voice trailed off. Jessica knew. 

“Twenty-four hours or assume they are dead.”

Matt froze, then nodded once, slowly. “Yeah. That.”

There was an uncomfortable silence spreading in the cabin. Tension was thick in the air. It could have been cut with a knife. The light rapidly disappearing from the sky made everyone on edge. Wendigos. “We should just go to the basement. We can make a plan on what to do to get Mike and Ash,” Sam’s voice was logical, thoughtful. She wanted to keep everyone safe, get as many people out alive as she could. 

“No need. I’m going out there.” Jessica was surprised to hear a voice speak up, oppose Sam’s leadership. She was even more surprised to find that the voice was her own. “I can’t stay here. They’re out looking for us. What if something happens just because they thought we were in danger? I cannot live with that.”

“Then I’m going too.” It was Chris’ voice who rang out. “I can’t just sit here when Ash is out there, risking her life for my sake.”

Jessica was somewhere between surprised and concerned that Chris was coming along. She knew that he was loyal, heard of what he did to save Josh, risk going face to face with the wendigos, almost dying in the process. She shouldn’t be surprised he would accompany her. The concern came from the fact it was the two of them. Neither were as athletic as Sam or Matt. Neither were as resourceful and cunning as Mike of Em. It would just come down to their wits and nerve if there was danger. “I’ll go too, then.” Sam said. 

Jessica shook her head. “No, I appreciate it, but the fewer of us there are out there, the less likely we are to get caught. Stay here. We’ll be back.” Jessica made eye contact with Matt, who gave her a nod. They understood one another. Both needed to stay safe. 

She and Chris walked towards the door, ready to disappear into the setting sun, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, surprised to see Emily. “Come back, okay?”

This was once her best friend, the girl she could tell anything to. They were partners in crime, ready to take on the world. Perhaps this was the first step to getting back to the way things were. Jessica gave Emily a hug. It had been too long since they had hugged like this. “I will.” She opened the door and she and Chris disappeared into the snow. 

They were walking down the trail for several minutes before Chris finally noticed something. “Jess, look at this.” She looked. Footprints. A pair of people walking away from the lodge. This had to be Mike and Ashley. They couldn’t be too far ahead. “Do you think it’s them?”

“Who else could it be?” 

“Should we chase after them?”

There wasn’t another word that needed to be spoken. They two of them broke out into a sprint, Jessica out-speeding Chris, as practice from going on daily jogs every morning, adrenaline coursing through their veins. It had to be them. It had to be. She saw their silhouette’s in the distance, neither of them moving. She had to get to them. There was a small clearing in the trees, opening around into a little hollow. Jessica slowed down, being cautious, letting Chris catch up to her. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Something’s up there.”

Chris squinted through his glasses making out the shapes. “We have to help them.” 

Jessica nodded. She looked around and found a reasonably sized rock. She and Chris darted around the trees, cautiously and quietly. They hadn’t seen what was tormenting Mike and Ashley yet, so it was possible it had’t seen them. They crept closer and closer until Jessica was able to throw the rock, making fly into the trees opposite of where Mike and Ashley were. She saw a figure, spider like, gray, thin, wearing ripped pieces of fabric that couldn’t be recognized as clothing anymore. Wendigo. 

She noticed Mike grab Ashley’s arm and take this opportunity to run towards them. She was relieved when she felt Mike’s arms around her, but they only had time for a short hug before Mike grabbed her forearm. “Run. Run run run run run run.” They sprinted through the trees, making their way back to the lodge. They were in sight of the lodge, almost safe. She could make out Emily, Sam and Matt looking anxiously through the window. Then she felt herself fall, the coldness of the snow suddenly enveloping her. “Jess!” 

“Mike!” She called out. Time froze. She recognized the feeling of the cold hands grabbing her, dragging her through the window, but these were different. No window. She was just brought up to the creature, staring it in the face. It’s two hands were on her head. She tried to scream, get help- CRACK!


	11. Recognition

Chapter Ten: Recognition 

CRACK! Matt winced as the sound vibrated through the air. Jessica fell to the ground with a thud, crumbled in the snow. He had gotten ahold of a shotgun abandoned in the lodge. The abrasive crack he had heard was the sound of the bullet hitting the creature, before it dropped Jessica into the snow. She looked stunned, dazed, but alive. Mike had run over to her and grabbed her while the monster made a bee line towards Matt. “Run!” he yelled. His heart was exploding out of his chest. He felt himself slipping over the shattered glass he had shot through to get the wendigo. They had to make it to the basement, then they would be safe. He prayed the others outside could make it inside before the wendigo got them. The sound of footsteps pounding overhead was at least a good sign that everyone made it inside. They all regrouped in the basement, their hearts pounding a million miles an hour in their chests. Matt noticed the look in Jessica’s eyes, fear. Undiluted, pure terror, but before he could get to her, Mike did, placing an arm around the pretty blonde’s shoulders, letting her press her head into his neck. He knew surviving a near-death experience was exhilarating, the adrenaline continuing to pump through the veins until exhaustion finally overtook, causing the victim to collapse. This is why it took him so long to navigate the mines, the sheer exhaustion overtaking his body. 

Everyone sat in silence, expect for Jessica who let out the occasional sob. Matt could look around the room and see the comfort everyone took. Chris and Ashley were together, their hands interlocked, neither looking like they would let the other go any time soon, Sam pacing the floor, moving from person to person, keeping a mental note of everyone’s condition. Emily was looking at a wall. Sighing, he made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I almost died here, you know?” 

“Hmm?” Matt looked around. It was the safest part of the house. No wendigo was likely to find them here. 

“I got bit, right? Ashley freaked the fuck out and convinced Mike to pull a gun on me. He didn’t shoot, but I could see in his eyes he could have. One little flick and I’d be dead.” Matt took a breath. The night was stressful. He wasn’t there, so he couldn’t defend or antagonize the decisions of everyone. “Chris was no help. He was cowering in the fucking corner, and Sam... I don’t know. She could have taken the gun away.” He didn’t know what to say. He had faced death, but never from someone he would call a friend. “I’m sorry I’m such a bitch, Matt.”

He kissed the top of her head. The insecurities she must have been feeling for her to admit she was wrong... “I know.”

She turned around to face him, the most genuine look he had ever seen Emily make was plastered on her face. “Why do you even like me? I’m a wreck!”

Matt tried to think about why he liked her. She was a challenge girlfriend, needed constant reassurance and always had to be right. She usually was, though. She was smart, loyal to those who treat her right, and won’t bother with those who screw her over. She was beautiful and made him happy, even though other times he wanted to pull his hair out with her. “Honestly, Em? I can’t quite say, but I do know that being with you has completely changed me.” She sunk into him and he felt his heart speed up. “Hey, we’ll get through this.”

She nodded. “We’ll try, at least.” 

“Guys,” Sam’s voice cut through the quiet tones in the room. The look in her eyes made her look like she had been betrayed, like that dumb prank had been played on her instead of Hannah. Matt recognized that look because it was the same on Hannah had in her eyes when they were discovered. “I don’t want to say it, but we blew up most of the wendigos, or they were still trapped in the sanatorium. Why was one attacking us?”

“They got loose?” The remark Matt heard Emily give beside him made her start to sound more like her old self. “Does it really matter why we’re being attacked? We need to get off the mountain and back home!”

Sam glanced at Chris. He seemed to know where Sam was going with this. “I’m going to be frank. That wendigo looked a lot like Josh.”

Matt shook his head. He heard Ashley muttering in the corner. Mike was whispering profanities. This was unreal. Why would Josh be a wendigo? Of course Sam and Chris would have noticed. They were Josh’s best friends. Matt thought back to the wendigo. The graying skin and skeletal features could hardly resemble a human. There was a large scar cutting across the wendigo’s face. How would Josh have received that scar? He closed his eyes, adding color to the eyes, adding life to the body, ignoring the monstrous teeth that almost tore into Jessica, and he could see it. The wendigo was, without a doubt, Josh. “What should we do?” he was surprised to hear he was the one to call out. “Should we just stay here until dawn? These things, wendigos, are active at night. As soon as the sun comes out and drives them away then we should be able to get away from here!”

“And go where?” Emily had spoken. They had just had such a nice moment. She was already so eager to fight with him? “Why the hell are we here in the first place? Can we even away from this place?” The nightmares that plagued his dreams were coming true. He knew what Emily was saying, that it was pointless to leave, but why shouldn’t they try? He shook his head. He would never be able to leave, not really. He went back every time he closed his eyes. Matt knew this was just another nightmare he had to get through.


	12. Fear

Chapter Eleven: Fear

There was crashing on the ceiling, like the monster knew they were hiding in here. Monster. She couldn’t believe she was using that word to describe someone she would have once considered a friend. It seemed like yesterday Josh was goading her into seeing the newest horror movie with him, Sam, the twins and Chris. She opted to see the newest Disney movie instead. Chris and Hannah had gone with her. That was the first time she saw Frozen, and the last time she had gone to the movies with the Washington’s. She couldn’t believe how close 2013 seemed, but it still felt like a lifetime had passed. 

Ashley dug her head into Chris’ shoulder, and she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders. “We’ll make it through, Ash. We will,” she told her, pressing his head into her hair. 

She turned her head up to look at him, eyes wide with fear. “I’m scared.” Her hands were shaking, no, trembling. She tried to think of this as a story in her head. How would this play out if she was writing them into a book? She would probably injure someone, but nothing they couldn’t recover from, and have the monster above them be able to be rehabilitated into some sort of damaged human again, like the beast transforming back to a prince, but a damaged prince. The thought racing through her mind attempted to calm her. She wanted this story to have a happy ending, but the sadistic side of her mind started to make appearances. Dark clouds filled her mind as they were picked off, one by one, dragged off by the monster, until it was just her, Chris and the monster left. Chris would face the monster, trying to protect her, and she would freeze as she watched him be brutally slaughtered right in front of her, before the monster turned his attention on her, killing her in agony. Her last sights would be Chris’ mangled body. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her face. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t live another night like this. The first night was hard enough, but lasting another one was a trial that she didn’t deserve, one that none of them deserved. 

The racing of her mind was suddenly slowed by a gentle caressing of her head. “Ash, shh, shh, Ash. Come on, it’ll be okay. We can do this.”

Chris. She knew he wasn’t particularly brave, and she didn’t know if he was being honest with his words, but she could feel something in his voice telling her that everything could be alright, everything could be okay again. They could get off this mountain and go back to living that half life they were living in before, one where they pretended life was okay after Blackwood. If they pretended long enough, maybe the fiction they created could become a blissful reality. She took a deep breath, though it shook with the weight of her emotions, and turned her attention to Chris, the solid foundation she had through this experience. “Okay. I,” one more deep breath, “We can survive.” 

The banging on the ceiling increased in volume as the predator stalked closer to his prey. She couldn’t believe that the thing she saw was once Josh. She was angry at Josh for so long, putting her, Chris and Sam through that hell, causing them to live in fear, drastically decreasing their chances for surviving against the wendigo before the wendigo could even attack them, but one day, that anger stopped. She knew about his medication, knew that there was something more, and though she doubted she could ever completely understand him, because no amount of research could help her truly get into his mindset, she could at least forgive him. If different choices were made, it wasn’t too unlikely that she would need to be begging for forgiveness. She was already having to beg forgiveness from Emily. 

The noise of the wendigo Josh had grown so constant, it was almost as if it was louder when it stopped. Ashley heard Sam let out a breath as she prepared to defend the rest of the group. Chris pushed Ashley away from him and led her behind one of the pillars. She knew how shaky she was, and how unlikely it was she would be able to remain still if a wendigo appeared. He gave her a quirky half smile, as if trying to comfort her, tell her everything would be fine, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He was afraid. She could tell. Everyone was getting into their own hiding spots. Emily and Jessica’s feud seemed to be behind them as they hid underneath the table together, staying close to one another, looking similar to how they looked the night the prank was played on Hannah, but instead of tipsy smiles and giggles, a grim look was spread across their features. Chris was behind a column opposite of Ashley, where they could both keep an eye on one another, reassure one another that everything would be fine with just a glance. Sam, Matt and Mike stayed out in the open, ready to act as guardians for the group. They had all played this role before last time they were on the mountain, as far as Ashley knew. Mike and Sam had saved the lives of her, Chris and Emily, while Matt acted as a guardian to Jessica. There was no way they weren’t terrified, but there was no way any of them were backing down either. 

The wendigo burst through suddenly, right above them, to the left of Ashley. She could feel the debris of the hole fall down beside her. She froze. Fight, flight and freeze, those were typically what people did in the face of fear and danger. She could freeze until she could run, an effective strategy for wendigos, but she couldn’t stand still forever. Eventually something would happen, causing her to lose focus, cause her to twitch the tiniest amount, effectively ending her life. Was there an escape? Could they get out of the basement? It seemed as though they were trapped here like caged birds. They couldn’t reach the hold wendigo created in the ceiling. How did the wendigo even know where they were? Was it possible it retained memories, or feelings, from when it was human? 

The wendigo was heading close to where Chris was. It’s dull, dead eyes scanning the room for any sign of movement. Ashley had to stop herself from screaming when the wendigo’s focus suddenly shifted. The attention turned to the table, where Jessica had visibly flinched. Deadly mistake. It grabbed her, lifting her into the air, ripping her lower jaw before taking a bite of it, killing her. It then turned its attention to Emily, who had backed into a corner seeing what the monster had done. He grabbed her and stabbed into her eyes with his thumbs, then dropping her. Ashley tried her hardest to stay still as the monster killed her friends, tried her hardest to not call out, but she could not stop the tears forming in her eyes, or stop the tears rolling down her cheeks and onto the floor. A tear dropped, and suddenly, the monster was lunging towards her.


	13. Sympathy

Chapter Twelve: Sympathy 

Chris was watching Ashley closely, being careful to not make any movements while the wendigo was around them, but doing what he could to keep his girlfriend safe. There wasn’t much he could do, though. He saw the wendigo run to under the table when Jessica gave away her and Emily’s positions, killing them. He saw Ashley react, as she was the one the closest to them. Blood was dotted across her face. He saw her eyes start to fill with tears. He couldn’t blame her for crying. He wanted to scream, yell, and get the hell out of here, but he couldn’t. He need to keep still. That’s why it practically killed him when one of her tears fell to the ground. The wendigo probably wouldn’t have noticed, if she hadn’t flinched. 

The flinch gave away her position. Immediately she resumed the game of don’t move, freezing on the spot, but it was too late. His hand had already grabbed hold of her. No, he couldn’t sit here. This was once Josh. He would never kill Ashley. He had to protect her! He had to do something... All he could think to do was call out to it, though. “Josh!” 

The wendigo Josh threw Ashley, like she was a toy, sending her into one of the columns. A large crack pierced through the air, followed by a thud. Chris had to keep himself from looking. If he looked, then he would run to her. If he ran to her, then they would both be dead, if they weren’t already. 

Josh drew closer to Chris, stalking him, getting closer and closer. Chris could feel his breath on him, see the soulless eyes that once belonged to his best friend. How was it possible that a monster could come out of someone he cared about so much? 

“Hey! Josh!” Chris heard Sam’s voice call over the wendigo. Josh’s attention turned away from Chris and went to the other side of the room. Chris could see Ashley. She was lying on the ground, not too far away from him. He dared a glance at the wendigo. If he could time it out just right, then he could reach Ashley. His plan was wait until the monster turned his attention here, then turned his attention away, but it seemed as though it was transfixed on Sam. He took the risk and darted towards Ashley, adrenaline pumping through his veins. 

“Ashley, Ashley, come on.” He was speaking under his breath, looking at the girl, trying to get her to wake up. She wasn’t moving. “Come on, Ash.” Nothing. “No. No, no, no. This can’t be happening, no!” 

The sound of the wendigo coming towards him interrupted his movements, but not the grief inside him. The wendigo grabbed the bodies of Jessica and Emily and left where he came from. Why? He had no idea. Sam probably did something. “We’ve got to go, Chris.” He felt Mike’s hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to get up. 

“No, no I won’t leave Ashley!” 

It was Matt who stepped up to save the day. “Chris, go with Mike, man. I’ll get Ashley.” Chris looked out of the corner of his eye as Mike led him away. Matt had Ashley in his arms. Sam was leading them out, making sure their escape wasn’t interrupted by another monster. Mike let out a small woop when there was signs of dawn arising over the mountain. Matt passed Ashley over to Chris. 

A helicopter in the distance was a welcome sight to the survivors of a second night of surviving until dawn. Why was a helicopter coming for them? What happened? Chris didn’t particularly care, at the moment, though. His attention was still on Ashley. She couldn’t possibly be dead, could she? She couldn’t be! No way! She had to wake up. He stroked her hair, hoping she would come to. He could check for a pulse, but he was terrified. What if he couldn’t find one?

When the helicopter landed, a dark haired woman stepped off, as well as a paramedic, who rushed over to where Chris and Ashley were. The dark haired woman’s focus was on Sam, Mike and Matt. The paramedic was asking Chris questions while he looked her over. “There’s a pulse, but it’s faint. She needs immediate medical attention. Help me get her into the helicopter and I’ll do what I can there until we can get her to a hospital.” Chris did as he was told. 

“Come on, Ash,” he whispered under his breath, “you’ve got to pull through. Please, Ash.” They loaded Ashley onto the helicopter. Chris watched as the paramedic took tests on Ashley, stripped off some of the layers of clothing she was wearing. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t happen to Ashley. 

It was only a couple of minutes after Chris had gotten on the helicopter that the rest of the survivors joined him. They were looking at Ashley with worry in their eyes, but they were also giving Chris sympathetic looks. Halfway in the air, the shock seemed to hit Matt that Emily was dead, as well as Jessica, and he completely shut down, refusing to look at anyone, being almost as unresponsive as Ashley. Mike and Sam weren’t much better. They looked like they were trying to stay strong for the other. They passed looks between one another, one holding a brave face, the other about to break down, then they would look at Ashley, concern in their eyes, that would eventually shift back to Chris. He did everything in his power to ignore them, but if he ignored them, then his thoughts started racing about Ashley again. He didn’t know what was worse, suffering through their looks, or thinking worse case scenario for the girl he liked... No... maybe loved. Fuck! This couldn’t be happening. “Chris?” he was pulled away by Sam’s voice, “Do you need to talk?”

“No,” he said. “I don’t.” 

‘Not to you,’ he thought. The only person he needed to talk to was Ashley. He just hoped he could.


	14. Closure

Chapter Thirteen: Closure

Sam let out a shaky breath as she saw Ashley get thrown against the column. Her mind raced as she heard him call out “Josh,” to the wendigo. It was terrible to see Chris have to face the creature that was once his best friend. She knew how much it hurt her to see him this way. It had to hurt him as much. She had to do something. She couldn’t let Josh tear apart another one of her friends. Jessica and Emily were both dead, and Ashely didn’t have a chance if they didn’t get out of here soon. 

She had a mental flashback to when she saved Mike from wendigo-Hannah by calling out to save him. That ploy could save Chris’ life now. A quick glance at Mike. She could tell he knew exactly what she was going to do. “Hey! Josh!” The wendigo turned his attention to her. She saw Chris dart over to Ashley. He could work with that. Now, Josh was her problem. 

Matt was frozen. Mike was frozen. Both her flanking her, trying to come up with game plans, probably trying to distract themselves from the bodies of Jessica and Emily that lied abandoned on the other side of the room. She felt like she could vomit, but there was nothing she could do for them now. She had to save who was left. Looking into the wendigo’s eyes, it was almost recognizable as Josh. There was a little piece inside him, it seemed like. He was a monster, probably couldn’t remember what each of these people meant to him, but maybe there were lingering feelings. It was possible. Mike encountered wendigo-Hannah several times, but seemed to be in the least danger from her. Wendigo-Josh killed Emily and Jessica immediately; both instigated pranks that led to Hannah and Beth’s deaths, but he never had a chance to get closure, like he did with the other participants. If these lingering feelings were true, then perhaps it was possible that she could use this to her advantage. 

She took a step towards the wendigo. It was a risk. She could very easily die. The stiffening of Mike and Matt next to her told her so, but the wendigo did nothing. It didn’t attack her. She looked into the eyes of the monster. What if? That was the question she had never let herself ask since coming off the mountain. What if Josh had survived? They both wanted Chris and Ashley to get together, but there was always that underlying tension between them, like it was unspoken that the two of them belonged together. They had made gestures and jokes that implied that one day they could be together, but that one day would never come. Looking into the wendigo’s eyes, it was almost as though he understood this. A moment of what almost looked like clarity crossed the milky, dead eyes. It was almost Josh in there. It would never be Josh, though, Sam reminded herself. They had wasted their opportunity. The wendigo turned around suddenly and grabbed the bodies of Jessica and Emily, leaving the rest of them alone. There was confusion, wonder, and fear spread across Matt and Mike’s faces, but they just shook their heads and got to business. They both headed to where Chris was huddling over Ashley. Sam went to the door and worked on opening it, making sure their escape was safe. They managed to leave the lodge, escaping with their lives once again. The sun rising on the horizon was as welcome a sight as the helicopter coming in for a landing. How had the helicopter known to come for them? It wasn’t like someone called like last year. 

Chris was huddled with Ashley, while Matt and Mike made their way over to Sam. “Okay, what the hell happened?” Mike asked as soon as they were all together. 

Sam shook her head. “I honestly don’t know, but there was this feeling, like, in my gut that told me Josh was still in there. I saw the old Josh, and I guess he saw me.”

Mike shook his head. “That makes no sense.”

“It might,” Matt reasoned. “We had very different experiences last year, and I still don’t know what all you guys went through, but maybe it was possible for the wendigo to have some humanity left in him. It probably would just take someone special to find it. Why didn’t Hannah kill Josh? She could’ve. She certainly had the strength, but somewhere inside her couldn’t bear the thought of killing her brother. Maybe Josh couldn’t bear the thought of killing Sam.”

She simply gave a shrug, trying to play off the incident, trying to ignore the lingering thoughts in the back of him mind telling her that she was special, that Josh spared them because of her. Instead, she switched her focus. “How did the helicopter know where to find us? Thy couldn’t have known.”

Mike pointed to a dark hair woman that was heading their way. “Well, you can ask.” 

The dark haired woman introduced herself as Sophia Bennet, and told them about her plans to study the psychological effects that coming back to the mountain would have. Of course, no one had thought the wendigos were real. They only worked on rebuilding the lodge during the day, so they never encountered any problems. Of course, Mike and Matt were pissed. Sam was as well, but she almost understood Dr. Bennet’s reasoning. Wendigo’s were far fetched, and she probably thought she was going to help people by studying their reactions. 

Eventually they made their way back to the helicopter. Chris and Ashely were already loaded, Chris hunched over Ashley’s body. She couldn’t help but give him sympathetic looks. Rising through the air, the further they got away from the mountain, the further away they got from Jessica and Emily... and Josh... the more somber the mood. Matt became closed off. He couldn’t process anything. Sam didn’t say anything, though, because she noticed the silent tears trickling down his face. She and Mike leaned on one another for support, like they had in the past. They were a team at this point, no matter what hit them. No one spoke. She hated the silence, but it was understandable. Still, she was worried. She turned her attention to Chris, seeing as he was most likely to respond. “Chris? Do you need to talk?”

“No, I don’t.” He turned his sights on Ashley. Sam understood. He was anxious. She didn’t say anything the rest of the ride.

What could have triggered this? She remembered Chris talking to her about the Butterfly Effect on the cable car a year ago -a lifetime ago. She wondered how true this was. What significant events could have led to this? What insignificant events could have caused this? She shook her head. Only time could tell.


	15. Epilogue One

Epilogue One:

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

Dr. Hill looked at the lady in the white coat in front of him. She held a sympathetic look on her face, as if she felt sorry for the man. He understood why she would have that look on her face. “I’m sure.” The suffering from the cancer wasn’t bad, but living with the choices he made was. He should have tried harder to stop Josh. He should have tried harder to fight against Sophia Bennett. He could have saved the lives of those girls. Instead he had to watch them die. He knew he shouldn’t have taken the bait that Bennett was clearly laying out for him. What did he hope to benefit by watching this? Closure? A chance to see Josh? He saw Josh. He also saw creatures that he hadn’t even been able to imagine. He wasn’t supposed to see these creatures. These were creatures that were supposed to haunt the nightmares of his patients. 

“Dr. Hill, the cancer is terminal, there is no doubt about that, but we can work on extending your life for as much as two years.” 

He appreciated the insisting of the younger doctor. She didn’t want to lose a patient, but he was tired. He didn’t want to look at this world anymore, so he gave a warm, kind smile to her. None of this was her fault. “What is two years in the grand scheme of things, really?” He shook his head. “I have done my job. I thought I was doing a good job, I thought I was saving their lives, but at least three people are dead because of my actions, maybe more.” He took a deep breath. “Dr. Walters, do you believe in monsters?”

She looked taken aback by the sudden change in tone with she question, blue eyes wide with curiosity. Dr. Hill liked her. She was bright, willing to listen to whatever had to be said by her patients. She wasn’t a therapist, but he had no doubts that she would have made a great one. He noticed how her eyes flicked side to side as she tried to think of an answer. “I believe everyone has monsters. What might be a monster to some might be a blessing to another, like this cancer that is attacking you.”

Smart girl. Young, early thirties. She had to be good to be this high of a position in the hospital at this age. “Well, I have seen true monsters. I don’t think I could live in a world where these exist.”

He saw another wave of sympathy cross over her face. “We have time,” she said. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He gave her a smile. “You know, I was a therapist, but I never saw one myself. I thought I was above it. Is anyone really, though?”

She gave a small laugh, a single chuckle, really, but it was enough to lighten the mood in the somber room. “Well, if you need me to, I’ll listen. You’ve got your monsters, and I’ve got mine. Go ahead and tell me.”

“Are you sure you want to hear?”

“I’m sure. Everyone has a story that deserves to be heard.”

Dr. Hill looked into the eyes of Dr. Walters, a mix of reluctance and excitement spreading across his features. He was about to change this woman’s entire world, and that scared him, but people needed to know. “Well, this starts with a patient, Joshua Washington.”


	16. Epilogue Two

Epilogue Two: 

Sam hadn’t remembered seeing a more beautiful wedding, or even imagining one. It had been eight years since the first time on the mountain. They had been through eight years of hell, so it was almost a relief to have the wedding placed on a day filled with so much suffering. The terrible memories could be replaced with beautiful ones. Sam had to admit she was excited to be the Maid of Honor for this wedding, as well as the only bridesmaid. Ashley had kept the other bridesmaids places empty as a sort of memorial to everyone who had died, Hannah, Beth, Jessica, Emily... it was sweet of her. It was similar to how Chris didn’t give the position of Best Man to anyone. That was Josh’s. 

Ashley looked beautiful. There had been some difficulty with planning the wedding. How was a paraplegic bride going to go down the aisle? Would the design of the wheelchair distract from the gown and everything else going around? Sam knew Ashley had all these fears. She also knew Ashley was afraid that Chris might not go through with the wedding. Who would want to voluntarily live with a cripple for the rest of their life? Sam knew these fears were all in Ashley’s head. She could think back to six years ago when they had survived their final night, their final trial, on the mountain. Chris hadn’t left Ashley’s side. She saw him act strong in front of the others, but she hadn’t missed the puffy eyes and the teardrops that fell when he thought no one else was watching. She knew his pain was real. She knew their love was real, even if they might not have realized either of them was in love with the other quite yet. They said ‘I love you’ for the first time a month after Ashley woke up. They had never even had eyes for another person since.

The wedding went off without a hitch. Ivory and pink roses that matched Ashley’s bouquet decorated the chair. Ashley’s father pushed her down the aisle to give her away. The ivory wedding dress made Ashley look like a goddess. Sam didn’t miss the look on Chris’ face. She had never seen a face that held so much love. She knew Ashley and Chris would be happy. 

She was currently at the reception where Chris and Ashley danced under the stars and fairy lights that were placed around the small courtyard that they had rented out. Sam saw Matt watching from the side, a raven haired beauty at his side. Sam remembered Matt healing after Emily’s death. He had held it together while their lives depended on it, but on the helicopter ride he fell into a depression that seemed like it would never end. He had tried to kill himself again. He was dangerous to himself. No one could blame him. He had lost his girlfriend in Emily. He had lost one of his childhood best friends in Jessica. He thought he was going to lose another one in Ashley. He had a terrible time coping. He eventually was admitted into a mental institution. He only stayed for a month or so, but that month worked wonders. Slowly, the old Matt had started to come back. He was laughing again. He could be trusted around razor blades and pills again. 

The day knew that Sam knew Matt would be okay was two years ago. She was having a small get together at her house, Chris, Ashley, Mike and Matt were the only ones invited. They always went to one another for everything, never missed any opportunity to see one another because they all knew better than anyone that any moment could be their last, but Matt had said he couldn’t come. When asked why he told Sam that he had a date. When she learned the date had gone well, she knew Matt would be alright. Matt broke up with the girl eventually, four months later, but got with his current girlfriend three months after. She’s sympathetic towards him, and she didn’t try to relate her own experiences to theirs, so Sam found her very pleasant. She was happy for Matt. She was the only one who knew he was planning onto proposing to her. 

Sam was distracted from her thoughts by a tap on her shoulder. She had noticed the first dance between Chris and Ashley had ended and beautiful couples in beautiful gowns were crossing onto the dance floor, congratulating the newly weds. Sam turned her attention to the person who had gotten her attention. Mike. 

Sam’s relationship with Mike was complicated. The two of them depended on one another after everything that had happened. Sam would pull him out of the depressive phases he would have when he got lost in thought about Jessica and Emily. Mike would bring Sam back to reality when she thought about the what if’s between her and Josh. They put everything into one another. They had a nightmare, they called one another. They needed a running partner, the called each other. They very rarely were seen in public without the other. 

Five months after the events on the mountain for the last time Sam had gotten a call on her phone. “Is this Samantha Waters?” the voice had asked her. She told them yes. “You’re listed as Michael’s emergency contact. Can you come to the hospital.” Of course she had gone right away. Mike had gotten drunk at a bar and ended up in a fight he lost pretty badly. Sam hadn’t been out in years. Together, they blended their lives. People often asked them if they were dating, to which they both denied. Neither of them were in a place where they could date. Jessica, Josh and Emily, as well as Hannah and Beth, were always on their minds. 

When Sam saw Mike standing there, hand held out, charming smile on his face, she was expecting this dance to be another out of necessity thing. She wasn’t expecting the looks Mike gave her. She wasn’t expecting to give him looks and shy smiles, or loving the way she felt being close to him while he twirled her around. “We can’t do this, can we?” she asked. 

Mike shrugged. “Why not? I mean, we’re both too crazy for anyone else. No one knows me better than you do. We know the baggage already.” Sam smiled. Michael Monroe had a point. They could try things out, of course. The two of them needing one another was pretty obvious. They had an almost symbiotic relationship at this point. “Samantha Waters, would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?”

Sam smiled. For the first time in a while she wasn’t thinking about Josh, about what could’ve been. She wasn’t thinking of the guilt that resided in her heart for letting those horrible things happen to her friends. She was able to get past it and just look at the attractive man standing in front of her. She knew he wasn’t thinking about his past, either. She knew his only focus was on her. “Only if you promise to not call me Samantha.” 

He smiled. “You’ve got a deal.” They danced under the fairy lights, smiling at one another, until Mike lifted Sam’s chin, looked into her eyes. It was a small kiss, but one full of promises. Nothing would get between them. Not Jessica. Not Emily. Not Josh. No one. Finally, Sam knew she had moved on. The group could finally be at peace. They would never have to fear again.


End file.
